diff --git a/storage/tsdb/tsdb.go b/storage/tsdb/tsdb.go
index 7cc8294dd..18ada9792 100644
--- a/storage/tsdb/tsdb.go
+++ b/storage/tsdb/tsdb.go
@@ -126,6 +126,10 @@ type Options struct {
 
 // Open returns a new storage backed by a TSDB database that is configured for Prometheus.
 func Open(path string, l log.Logger, r prometheus.Registerer, opts *Options) (*tsdb.DB, error) {
+	if opts.MinBlockDuration > opts.MaxBlockDuration {
+		return nil, errors.Errorf("tsdb max block duration (%v) must be larger than min block duration (%v)",
+			opts.MaxBlockDuration, opts.MinBlockDuration)
+	}
 	// Start with smallest block duration and create exponential buckets until the exceed the
 	// configured maximum block duration.
 	rngs := tsdb.ExponentialBlockRanges(int64(time.Duration(opts.MinBlockDuration).Seconds()*1000), 10, 3)